welcome to "world news." tonight, flame out? place say they have the man who terrorized los angeles starting 5 afires in four days. caught by an eagle-eyed rookie cop and a surveillance tape. final stretch. the last 24 hours before the first votes are cast in 2012 and we're there as the candidates pour it on. arctic surprise. winter wakes up. see the 30-degree temperature drop in one day. amazing moment. one woman 30 years of silence speaking again. all because of a story she saw right here on "world news." and happy new year. some twins who make a hilarious debut onto the planet.

good evening and hope it is a great new year for you. and at the top of the news tonight four four days residents of los angeles have bowled their door, looked out the windows in the middle of the night in fear of a serial arsonist who lit 55 fires burning cars and homes. but there is word tonight that police believe they have a person of interest under arrest, all thanks to arookie cop and this surveillance tape. david? >> reporter: good evening, this is one of the carports. you can still smell the fumes and multiple fly this scene by more than 50. you can see how this arson spree has terrorized these neighborhoods even though authorities now believe they have a suspect in custody, they're still running extra patrols and still urging residents to keep their lights on at night. the prime suspect now charged

with arson was arrested on sunset boulevard early this morning. sources directly involved in the case tell abc news one of the first things he said was "i hate america." >> he's got this big smile on his face like he's the joker. >> reporter: a rookie sheriff's deputy was the first to spot the suspect driving the minivan with canadian license plates matching the description from some of the fires. investigators tell abc news a search of the van turned up flammable materials matching what sparked the fires. bliss also noticed that ponytail, grain in images from security cameras showed a man in a ponytail too leaving a parking garage where a car was set on fire. >> the driver was detained and investigators with arson task force were notified. subsequent to interviewing this individual he was placed under arrest. >> reporter: a total of 5 afires since last week, set in a five-mile swath right up the

middle of town including a dozen new fires overnight. so many blazes authorities weren't sure if they were dealing with one firebug or a series of copycats. most started in carports or garages, some spread to nearby buildings before fire crews could get them under control. there's one big reason they're confident they have their man. >> we have not responded to any fires since this individual was detained this morning at just after 3:00. >> reporter: the big unanswered question is why. sources tell abc news the suspect's mother is about to be deported. sources say he's a german national and his mother's deportation hearing took place a week and a half ago. >> there's a number of reasons why individuals set fires. they do it out of spite, out of anger. >> reporter: now, the atf just left the scene moments ago. authorities still piecing together what may have provoked this arson spree. all told more than $2 million in damages. thankfully no one killed but one

firefighter was injured and one person suffered smoke inhalation. diane? >> david wright with the latest from the west coast tonight. and now, politics. your voice, your vote. it is about to begin. the ground is frozen in iowa tonight and neighbors have argued over backyard fences and casserole dinners but in 24 hours, they will cast first votes in the republican battle for the white house. signaling america what's on their mind. so who are these voters and expected 120,000 people. 60% are evangelical christian, nearly 40% are boomers making iowa the fifth oldest state in the nation. the average income just under $50,000. abc news has been covering iowa for more than a year and with the clock ticking tonight abc's jake tapper and anchor david muir spent the day in iowa. jake starts us off with the contender enjoying the late game surge. jake? >> reporter: good evening, diane. well, just a few hours ago this

inventory was bursting at the seams, all eyes are on the man with the momentum, former pennsylvania senator rick santorum. he bills himself as the consistent conservative an he is surging here in iowa having gone from last place in the polls to third to second to looking to shock the political world. at a packed pizza ranch restaurant in boone, iowa, rick santorum tells voters not to pick a more moderate candidate like mitt romney, but to go with their gut. >> don't defer. to others who don't know the candidates as well as you do -- >> reporter: through an old-fashioned shoe leather campaign of shaking hands and kissing babies santorum has become the candidate to watch. >> money doesn't buy iowa. >> reporter: because of the support of christian conservatives. > he clely is a moral man with high integrity. >> reporter: he's winning them over with his stand as a culture warrior emphasizing his strong opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

but he argues his reach is beyond those key republican voters. pointing to his two wins as senator in the all-important battleground state of pennsylvania. >> you talk a lot about how you won in the important swing state of pennsylvania. you don't talk a lot about how you got defeted. >> worst election year for republicans in the history of the state. this is going to beat 2006. >> reporter: the other man drawing crowds and watchful eye of the romney campaign ron paul. >> this is what the vote is about tomorrow, are we sick and tired of the expansion of government, the endless spending and the deficits doing the things they weren't supposed to do and forgetting about doing the things they should be doing? >> reporter: both paul and santorum face questions about the repeal to the independents and moderates who decide the election this november and their ability to translate a strong showing here into something more. jake tapper, abc news, boone, iowa. >> this is david muir in mary

ann, iowa. he spent $10 million here and lost. romney then. >> everybody likes a first place finish but i didn't get that. >> reporter: four years later he wants iowa but was careful with us not to call himself the front-runner. interesting governor, you say toward the top of the back but don't want to say you're at the top. >> no, i think there are three people right now all within spitting distance of one another. >> reporter: he's well aware of ron paul and rick santorum's numbers. newt gingrich had a fleeting moment at the top until a barrage of negative ads sent him into a freefall. >> more baggage than the airlines. >> reporter: behind many of the ads one of those shadow groups a super pac won by his yetiest supporters comparing it ho john kerry being swift boated. >> speak of gingrich support has fallen off. >> reporter: because of the negative ads. >> i think the reason for his decline across the country and in new hampshire is something he can address.

>> reporter: and then romney's recent one-liners comparing newt gingrich's failure to get on the ballot to lucille ball in the chocolate factory and in just the past 24 hours comparing president obama's promises to kim kardashian's wedding. >> the gap between his promises and his performance is the largest i've seen, well, since the kardashian wedding. >> reporter: are you coming one these lines. >> some people offer a suggestion, other times they were my own. the favorite was the i love lucy line. miefrn all by myself. i got advice from one of my friends on the bus -- >> reporter: you want to say who? >> no. >> reporter: you want the lines to keep coming. >> absolutely. >> reporter: not always his line but he'll continue to use them as longs he continues to see the momentum he's witnessing in iowa especial wily with new hampshir. a lucy line, a kardashian line. who knows what's coming next.

>> david muir and jake tapper, as well. time to bring in "good morning america" anchor george stephanopoulos and anchor of "this week." george, great to see you tonight. >> good to be back. >> we are here. what a year we've been through, huh? and 24 hours to go. what's the big lesson. >> diane, iowa always brings surprises but never so many before the first votes. look at what's happened in the last several months. just about every candidate has had the lead in iowa at one time or another. yet at the end the iowa voters seem boyced to come back. the establishment candidate with the big organization who's got the money and has run before and that is mitt romney poised to put him in a commanding position for this nomination. >> seven different front-runners since may. >> just been unbelievable. >> so can anybody stop romney at this point? >> you never say never. there have been so many surprises but looks so hard because what iowa seems poised to do, as well, is knock out the two candidates who had the best chance to have kind of national reach and national organization and that is newt gingrich and rick perry.

they look to come in fourth and fifth. going to be very hard to recover from that. >> former senator rick santorum, jake told us about him. >> he could win iowa but he doesn't have the reach. he doesn't have the organization and perhaps most important he hasn't yet faced the kind of negative ads that gingrich and perry have faced. >> all right. george, well, as you well know, you and i will be standing by tomorrow night here at abc news election headquarters, the team will be spanned out across iowa bringing you the results as they come in and don't forget the next big debate george and i will moderate in new hampshire, the showdown starts at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 pacific and do not miss it on saturday night. and we have an update tonight on that gunman stalking people in mt. rainier national park in washington state. the man believed shot and killed a park ranger who was also a mother of two, late today benjamin colton barnes an iraqi military veteran found dead face down in deep snow. his estranged wife said he

suffered from posttraumatic stress. more than 100 frightened men and women were locked down inside a visitors center in the park throughout the night for their protection. and we shift gears now to a question facing families coast to coast, what is fair and what is effective in rousing parents to the problem of overweight kids? and what about the overweight kids themselves become the paul reveres? a good idea? steve osunsami examines both sides of a debate tonight. >> my daughter says i have something call hypertension. >> reporter: the health experts behind the blunt and startling ads say they are exactly what the state of georgia needs -- more straight talk and less sugar coating the crisis. nearly 40% of georgia's children today are obese or overweight, some diagnosed with heart disease and hypertension in the first and second grades. in this television spot, a child asks his mother a simple question she can't answer. >> mommy, why am i fat?

>> reporter: the approach here has divided and even angered health officials, with critics saying that you can't shame families into losing weight. >> this is an example of what not to do. we need to fight obesity, not obese individuals. >> it's not only ineffective but quite damaging. if kid feel bad about their bodies they won't take good care of them. >> reporter: children's health care of atlanta hired the actors. spending $25 million to spread the message and they refuse to apologize. >> this is a crisis and we can't continue to let it go on. >> reporter: these in-your-face campaigns have worked before, >> i did meth. >> reporter: stopped it by 50%. >> i could see how unhappy he was at school. >> reporter: he says he's trying

to eat better, change his life and avoid becoming another statistic in a commercial. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. and still ahead tonight, we have new details on an amazing rescue, ten brave strangers climb nothing freezing waters turning a car right side up, firing a gun into a window to pull out three children. and the woman whose voice vanished for 30 years speaking tonight all because of a story she saw right here that changed her life. sometimes investing opportunities are hard to spot. you have to dig a little. fidelity's etf market tracker shows you the big picture on how different asset classes are performing, and it lets you go in for a closer look at areas within a class or sector that may be bucking a larger trend. i'm stephen hett of fidelity investments. the etf market tracker is one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. climb nothing freezing waters

dy and explore your next investing idea. when bp made a commitment to the gulf, we knew it would take time, but we were determined to see it through. today, while our work continues, i want to update you on the progress: bp has set aside 20 billion dollars to fund economic and environmental recovery. we're paying for all spill- related clean-up costs. and we've established a 500 million dollar fund so independent scientists can study the gulf's wildlife and environment for ten years. thousands of environmental samples from across the gulf have been analyzed by independent labs under the direction of the us coast guard. i'm glad to report all beaches and waters are open

for everyone to enjoy. and the economy is showing progress with many areas on the gulf coast having their best tourism seasons in years. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp. we're committed to the gulf for everyone who loves it, and everyone who calls it home. you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing his? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acid related erosions in the lining of your esophagus. talk to your doctor about the risk for osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels with long-term use of nexium. possible side effects include headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. let your doctor do his job, and you do yours.

ask if nexium is right for you. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. we're learning more tonight about a truly heroic rescue of three children trapped in an overturned car in an icy utah river. they are alive tonight because a dozen good samaritans rushed into the frigid waters including a former police officer who shot a hole through one of the car's windows. here's abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: it was a new year's eve near-tragedy. roger anderson was driving to a ski resort in logan, utah with three kids in the car when he suddenly braked to avoid an accident. the car slid off the road and down a ten-foot embankment, and it landed upside down in three feet of freezing water. two 9-year-old girls and a 4-year-old boy were trapped. this former police officer and

others stopped to help. >> they were screaming something about "kids," so i jumped out of the car, jumped into the river next to the children's father and started helping him trying to get into the vehicle. >> reporter: time was running out. the car filling with water. >> i tried pulling on the door handles and none of them would open up, so i pulled out my handgun and actually shot out the window. >> reporter: but even that failed to free them. seconds later about a dozen onlookers jump in the water and help push the car upright allowing the children to get out. the young boy had stopped breathing, but was revived with cpr. the kids have now gone home from the hospital after being treated for hypothermia. >> an army like that cannot be defeated. >> oh, my gosh! >> reporter: and who could forget this. last september a man was trapped under a burning car but instead of running away, fellow citizens saved his life. >> how brave they are is crazy. >> reporter: why do people trade their own safety for people they don't know? >> heroes are very human. the key is being aware that someone else is in need. someone else is in an emergency.

>> reporter: williden, who has three kids of his own, never thought twice about helping out. >> we just did what needed to be done right then. >> reporter: help that came from perfect strangers. clayton sandell, abc news, denver. wow. good for them and still ahead, the first blast of winter, a 30-degree temperature drop in one day. how cold will it get? a shadow of your former self? c'mon, michael! get in the game! [ male announcer ] don't have the hops for hoops with your buddies? lost your appetite for romance? and your mood is on its way down. you might not just be getting older. you might have a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. millions of men, forty-five or older, may have low t. so talk to your doctor about low t. hey, michael! [ male announcer ] and step out of the shadows. hi! how are you? [ male announcer ] learn more at isitlowt.com. [ laughs ] hey! is non-stop to seattle? just carry preparation h totables. discreet, little tubes packed with big relief. from the brand doctors recommend most by name.

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an unusually balmy december. temperatures plunging tonight. heavy snow finally arrived and suddenly the eastern half of the country, tens of millions of americans are shivering. here's abc news meteorologist ginger zee. >> reporter: from no snow to more than a foot of snow in one day. parts of michigan slammed with 10 to 12 inches overnight, january 2012 is roaring in with thick blankets of snow and 30 to 50-mile-per-hour winds throughout the great lakes. a 30-car pileup on i-75 in kentucky, an ice rink on the highways around chicago and accidents in ft. wayne, indiana. in the past 24 hours temperatures have plummeted from the great lakes through the southeast and it's not over. the arctic blast will hold its icy grip from maine to florida tuesday and wednesday. by tuesday night windchills will be subzero for parts of new england and in the teens for

northern florida. diane? >> all right, ginger, thank you so much, ginger zee. and here is the first riddle of 20126789 how can twins be born a year apart? well, it happened not once but four times and here's how it happened. as auld lang syne was about to begin in tampa. this baby was born at 11:59 on the last night at 2011. as the song was ending a minute later, her twin sister, leah, was born, one of the first newborns of 2012 and the same thing happened in buffalo, in minneapolis and in south dakota. a lot of happy twinges with two birthday parties to come in the years ahead. a happy new year to them, indeed. and still ahead, the woman who lost her voice 30 years ago speaking here tonight. she saw a story on "world news" that changed her life. every day potentially harmful germs can collect on the surface of a denture. leading regular toothpastes are not designed

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guaranteed to work or it's free! save $4 with a one-step coupon in this sunday's paper. [ female announcer ] s.c. johnson. a family company. finally tonight, entering a new year with a new voice. this is an amazing story of a woman who lost her voice 30 years ago. her daughter and grandchild unable to hear her speak up until she saw a story right here

on "world news" and sent word to us, listen to what i can do now. here's abc's linsey davis. >> reporter: betty lou trufant said "i do" in 1981. the very next year, she came down with a bad cold and lost her voice. but three decades later she could still only muster this raspy whisper. >> a voice that i haven't had for 30 years. >> reporter: doctors say the virus had paralyzed her vocal cords. her daughter went from adolescent to adult without ever hearing her mother's real voice. >> i don't remember what her voice ever really sounded like. >> reporter: she'd resigned that she'd live the rest of her life gesturing and whispering, until one night in may when she saw a story on abc "world news" about aaron martin who also lost her voice and then received a special kind of throat therapy at the cleveland clinic. >> try to relax your throat. >> reporter: this massage brought her voice back. >> i hear my laugh.

>> reporter: that night, betty lou also got something back she hadn't had in years, hope. she called the cleveland clinic right away and set up an appointment. >> i'm going to have a voice. i'm going to be able to yell at you again. >> reporter: when we breathe, the vocal cords are relaxed. we tighten them to speak. betty lou's left cord was paralyzed until doctors at cleveland clinic performed the surgery to correct it. finally after 30 years she was able to say this. >> yeah, i'm good. i'm really good. i'm going to cry again. >> reporter: the crying soon turned to laughter. >> i'm going to be singing and dancing. . it was just a blessing, just a blessing to get my voice back. >> reporter: she is not only talking. she's calling the shots. linsey davis, abc news, new york.

>> and it's so good to begin this new year with you. we'll see you here tomorrow night. big day for democracy. the election 2012 begins. good night.